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(IF/5) Progress in Fast Ignitor Research with the NOVA Petawatt Laser Facility

M. H. Key, E. M. Campbell, T. E. Cowan, B. A. Hammel, S. P. Hatchett, E. A. Henry, J. D. Kilkenny, J. A. Koch, A. B. Langdon, B. F. Lasinski, R. W. Lee, J. D. Moody, M. J. Moran, A. A. Offenberger^*, D. M. Pennington, M. D. Perry, T. J. Phillips, T. C. Sangster, M S. Singh, M. A. Stoyer, M. Tabak, M. Tsukamoto^**, K. Wharton, S. C. Wilks

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P.O. Box 808, L-473 Livermore CA 94550, USA
^* Visiting from Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G7, Canada
^** Visiting from Joining & Welding Research Institute, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567, Japan

Abstract.  The physics of fast ignition is being studied using a petawatt laser facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Performance of the PW laser with deformable mirror wavefront control giving intensities up to 3×10²⁰Wcm^{- 2} is described. Measurements of the efficiency of conversion of laser energy to relativistic electrons and of their energy spectrum and angular distribution including an observed narrow beam angle of ±15^o , are reported. Heating by the electrons to near 1keV in solid density CD₂ is inferred from the thermo-nuclear neutron yield. Estimates suggest an optimized gain of 300x if the National Ignition Facility were to be adapted for fast ignition.

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